Cory shivered suddenly but the chill was from within, not without. She wished he had been an ordinary sort of man—one who did a nine to five job, who was perhaps a little overweight, who maybe had smelly feet. There might have been a chance he wouldn’t grow tired of her then. But that was silly—he wouldn’t be Nick and she wouldn’t love him if he was any different. She’d ignored the caution light even when it had turned from amber to red, flashing its danger sign in great big letters. Don’t let him into your heart and your life. Yes, she’d ignored it. She only had herself to blame.
But she wasn’t going to think of all that now. She gave a mental shrug. There was tonight, this entrancing garden and Nick. Her blood heated, singing along her veins. If this one weekend was all she had, then it would be enough.
CHAPTER SEVEN
WHEN they had finished the dessert Rosie had brought—a wickedly frothy concoction of raspberries, dark chocolate and meringue topped with lashings of thick cream—Nick disappeared into the house with the dishes and empty champagne bottle to make the coffee. He refused to let Cory help, kissing her very thoroughly before he left until she felt she was drowning in the taste and feel of him.
She sat in the balmy quiet of the scented garden, wrapped in a sensual glow that didn’t fade before he returned. As he placed the coffee tray on the table she wrapped her arms round his neck, pulling his mouth to hers. ‘I’ve missed you,’ she said throatily, half smiling.
‘I’ll have to leave you more often.’ He kissed her again before he straightened, adding, ‘Drink your coffee. It’s one of my specials.’
‘Specials?’ She picked up her cup, running her tongue dreamily over the creamy foam. It tasted wonderful. ‘I didn’t know coffee could taste like this. What’s in it?’
‘I told you, it’s one of my specials. I’ve quite a range,’ he said lazily. ‘This one’s got spices and whipped cream and a coffee liqueur a friend of mine from Brazil brings me when he’s in this neck of the woods.’ He sat down in his seat again, stretching out his long legs, his body relaxed and at ease.
Cory glanced at him from under her eyelashes as she sipped at the fragrant drink. The black denim added to the aura of masculinity and he made her legs weak. Tonight he would take her into that enormous bed. The morning could take care of itself.
They talked of inconsequentials as they sat there, the flickering candles slowly burning down and the starstudded sky above. When Nick at last rose to his feet, pulling her up with him, Cory felt a brief moment of panic.
She wasn’t experienced like his other women. She didn’t know any little tricks or moves to keep a man interested in bed. She just had herself to offer and suddenly that didn’t seem nearly good enough.
As he put his arm round her she shivered. ‘Cold?’ He pulled her tighter into the warm protection of his body. His hands began caressing her, their touch as light as down and unthreatening. Slowly she relaxed, her head falling back against his shoulder, her eyes drowsy with desire as they met his. He lowered his head, nipping and teasing at her lips between planting little kisses on her chin, her nose, her closed eyelids. When his mouth finally took hers, his tongue thrusting deep into the warm moisture within, it was a kind of consummation, a woman accepting the powerful thrust of a man inside her body and Cory moaned softly.
He led her into the house still wrapped in his arms and they walked slowly up the stairs, each step punctuated with more caresses and soft murmurings. When they reached the landing Cory didn’t realise for a moment where he was leading her. Then, as he opened the bedroom door and she stared into the pretty room beyond, her eyes opened wide. ‘But I thought…’
‘What did you think, sweetheart?’ he ask
ed softly.
She stared at him, so taken aback she didn’t know what to say.
‘That coming away with me for the weekend was some sort of sexual blackmail?’ he continued silkily. ‘I told you before, I’m not William.’
‘I know.’ Her voice was barely a whisper and his face gentled.
‘No, you don’t, not yet. Make no mistake, Cory, I want you. I want you so much I walk the floor some nights when cold showers don’t do the trick. But you’re not ready yet. Did you think the reason I told you I loved you before I went to Germany was to set you up for this weekend?’
Now he had voiced it she realised it had been at the back of her mind all the time. But she shook her head. ‘No, of course not.’
‘I’ve told you before, you don’t lie too well,’ he said with a faint little smile. His eyes searched her face. ‘I want your trust as much as your body, Cory. Can you believe that? And this minefield of your past has to be cleared before that can come about. The only way I know to make it happen is to show you who I am. If you don’t trust me then anything we have will be built on shifting sand; the first strong wind that comes against it will send the whole pack of cards tumbling.’
Cory’s throat was locked and she couldn’t utter a sound. She had never felt more confused in her life.
‘You’re bound up by fear; you know that, don’t you?’
‘Fear?’ It unlocked her voice. ‘I’m not afraid.’
‘Yes, you are. I thought it was of me to begin with but the more I’ve got to know you, I see it’s not that. It’s Cory James who frightens Cory James.’
She took a little step away from him. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said, backing into the bedroom.
‘You’re frightened that the person you are isn’t good enough or worthy enough or whatever it is.’ A note of anger was in his voice for the first time. ‘It’s a legacy from your parents and it’s rubbish, Cory. You know there’s a part of me that could almost feel sorry for William if the guy hadn’t been such an out-and-out jerk.’
‘What?’ Now she was angry. It put adrenalin where it was needed and burnt up the feeling of a few moments before which had had her wanting to cry. ‘Why?’ she snapped.
‘Because you were waiting for him to let you down, weren’t you? All along. And when it finally happened it confirmed you had been right. He had followed the pattern. You damn near led him into it.’
‘I did not!’ Her face was flushed; she glared at him, her hands clenched at her sides. ‘How dare you say that?’